Excerpt

This report, the first Surgeon General's report on youth violence in the United States, summarizes an extensive body of research and seeks to clarify seemingly contradictory trends, such as the discrepancies noted above between official records of youth violence and young people's self-reports of violent behaviors. It describes research identifying and clarifying the factors that increase the risk, or statistical probability, that a young person will become violent, as well as studies that have begun to identify developmental pathways that may lead a young person into a violent lifestyle. The report also explores the less well developed research area of factors that seem to protect youths from viewing violence as an acceptable -- or inevitable -- way of approaching or responding to life events. Finally, the report reviews research on the effectiveness of specific strategies and programs designed to reduce and prevent youth violence.

Contents

• Message from Donna E. Shalala
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1 -- Introduction
  • Scope, Focus, and Overarching Themes
  • Secondary Areas of Concern
  • Youth Violence: the Public Health Approach
  • Myths About Youth Violence
  • Sources of Data and Standards of Evidence
  • Overview of the Report's Chapters
  • Chapter Conclusions
  • Preparation of the Report
  • References
• Chapter 2 -- the Magnitude of Youth Violence
  • Measuring Youth Violence
  • The Violence Epidemic
  • Arrests for Violent Crimes
  • Prevalence of Violent Behavior
  • Differences by Sex and Race/ethnicity
  • Violence at School
  • Gangs and Violence
  • Conclusions
  • References
  • Appendix 2-A
• Chapter 3 -- The Developmental Dynamics of Youth Violence
  • Early- and Late-Onset Trajectories
  • Onset and Prevalence of Serious Violence
  • Cumulative Prevalence
  • Rates of Offending and Violent Careers
  • Developmental Pathway to Violence
  • Chronic Violent Offenders
  • Superpredators?
  • Co-occurring Problem Behaviors
  • Offending and Victimization
  • Transition to Adulthood
  • Conclusions
  • References
• Chapter 4 -- Risk Factors for Youth Violence
  • Introduction to Risk and Protective Factors
  • Risk Factors in Childhood
  • Risk Factors in Adolescence
  • Proposed Protective Factors in Childhood and Adolescence
  • Conclusions
  • References
  • Appendix 4-Alipsey and Derzon's Classes of Risk Factors
  • Appendix 4-B Violence in the Media and Its Effect on Youth Violence
  • Media Violence: Exposure and Content
  • Major Behavioral Effects of Media Violence
  • Summary of Major Empirical Research Findings
  • Preventive Efforts
  • Implications
  • References
• Chapter 5 -- Prevention and Intervention
  • Promoting Healthy, Nonviolent Children
  • Methods of Identifying Best Practices
  • Scientific Standards for Determining Program Effectiveness
  • Strategies and Programs: Model, Promising, and Does Not Work
  • Cost-Effectiveness
  • Conclusions
  • Going to Scale
  • References
  • Appendix 5-A -- Consistency of Best Practices Evaluations
  • Appendix 5-B Descriptions of Specific Programs that Meet Standards for Model and Promising Categories
• Chapter 6 -- A Vision for the Future
  • Continue to Build the Science Base
  • Accelerate the Decline in Gun Use by Youths in Violent Encounters
  • Facilitate the Entry of Youths Into Effective Intervention Programs Rather Than Incarcerating Them
  • Disseminate Model Programs with Incentives that Will Ensure Fidelity to Original Program Design When Taken to Scale
  • Provide Training and Certification Programs for Intervention Personnel
  • Improve Public Awareness of Effective Interventions
  • Convene Youths and Families, Researchers, and Private and Public Organizations for a Periodic Youth Violence Summit
  • Improve Federal, State, and Local Strategies for Reporting Crime Information and Violent Deaths
  • Conclusion
  • References
• Glossary